Initiating device for oil well tools



March 13, 1962 v. D, HANES INITIATING DEVICE FOR OIL WELL TOOLS Filed April 21, 1959 il LI INVENTOR.

vAuGHAN D. HANES y m QW ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,024,844 INITKATEJG DEVICE FOR OIL WELL TOOLS Vaughan D. Hanes, West Covina, Calif., assigner to Aerojet-General Corporation, Azusa, Calif., a corporation of Ohio Filed Apr. 21, 1959, Ser. No. 807,929 5 Claims. (Cl. 166-65) The present invention relates generally to devices for 4initiating operation of well tools suspended by non-electric lines and particularly to the arrangement by which the initiating device is operated.

A device of the kind to which this invention relates has been disclosed in my copending patent application Serial No. 807,928, tiled April 2l, 1959, and assigned to the same assignee as is the present invention.

This invention is particularly directed to the arrangement by which the initiating mechanism is operated but is not concerned with the initiating mechanism itself, for details of which reference may be made to the copending patent application above referred to.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel method of, and improved means for, operating initiating mechanism of a well tool suspended by a non-electric line.

With the above and other objects which will appear from the following specification and accompanying illustrative drawings, the invention comprises an operating means having a two-part casing with an upper tubular member connected to the suspending line and a lower tubular member containing the initiating mechanism and resiliently connected to the upper member. A trip member co-axially mounted in said upper and lower members is resiliently connected to the lower member and is positively engaged by the upper member after a certain amount of lost motion, the positive engagement of the trip member by the upper member effecting operation of the initiating mechanism in the lower tubular member.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary central vertical section through the upper portion of the device of the invention showing the idle position of the parts;

FIG. lazis a fragmentary central vertical section through the lower portion of the device shown in FIG. l;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentaiy section similar t0 FIG. 1 but showing the position of the parts while being jerked upwardly by a short pull on the suspending line; and

FIG. 2a is a fragmentary central section through a portion of the device shown in FIG. 2, in operative position.

ln the drawings, the numeral generally indicates the upper member and the numeral lila indicates the lower member of the device.

The upper member of the device comprises a tubular casing 11, the upper end of which is closed by a plug 12 threaded to the casing and furnished with an upwardly extending short shank 13 furnished with an eye 14 to which the lower end of a measuring line 15 is secured. The lower surface of plug 12 may be recessed as shown at 16.

The inner surface of casing 11 toward the upper end thereof is provided with an inwardly extending centrally apertured partition or flange 17. The lower end of the casing 11 is closed by a centrally bored plug 18 screwed into its` lower end.

The lower member lila of the device comprises an upwardly extending tubular part 19 of reduced diameter telescoping within upper member 10, and guided for axial movement therein by sliding in the central hole 18a in plug 18 and by the sliding engagement of a head 20 screwed on the outer surface of the upper end of the tubular part 19 within the wall of the tubular casing 11.

A coil compression spring 21 is arranged around the outer surface of the tubular part 19 and is under cornpression between the upper surface of plug 18 and the under surface of the head 20. Spring 21 is stiff enough to carry the weight of the lower portion of the device and of the well tool suspended therefrom while holding head 20 against partition 17.

The lower end `of tubular part 19 is screwed into ya built-up casing 22 of greater diameter than the tubular portion 19. The built-up casing 22 comprises an upper end cap 23 having a thick upper end 23a into which tubular part 19 is screwed, and is itself screwed onto the thick upper end 24a of a pressure case 24.

The lower end of the pressure case 24 is closed by a plug 25 screwed therein to and having a downwardly extending tubular portion 26 of reduced diameter to which a well tool 27 is connected, as for instance by a shear pin 28.

A trip member 29 comprises a rod 30 mounted within the tubular part 19 and extending upwardly through the central opening in the partition or flange 17. At its lower end rod 30 extends into the cap member 23. The upper end of the rod 30 is fitted with a nut 31 which limits the downward movement of the rod 29 relative to the upper member 19 of the device by engagement with `the upper surface of partition 17. The lower end of the rod 29 is screwed into a lower head 32 in cap member 23, which limits the upward and downward movement of the rod with respect to the lower tubular member 10a.

Lower head 32 is formed with a radially extending flange 33 around its lower end and a coil spring 34 is arranged around the lower head 32 under compression between the flange 33 and lower surface of the upper end 23a of cap 23. Spring 34 therefore holds rod 19 resiliently in retracted relation to the lower member 10a of the casing.

An operating plunger 35 is screwed into the lower head 32 to project downwardly through an axial bore in the thick upper end 24aof the pressure case 24 and to project into the latter, Sealing means 36, preferably an 0 ring, are positioned in a peripheral groove in the upper end 24a of the pressure case around the axial bore therethrough to provide a liquid tight seal against the surface of voperating plunger 35.

The vertical movement of the operating plunger 35 is utilized to operate initiating mechanism mounted in the pressure case 24, and while such mechanism may be of any suitable type either mechanical, or electrical `as described in copending patent application Serial No. 807,- 928, liled April 2l, 1959, a normally closed switch 37, that is one which closes a circuit while the plunger 37a is free of pressure, is shown as the element operated by the movement of the operating plunger. Spring 34 in the normal or idle position of the parts holds lower head 32 against the top 24a of the pressure case, and presses the operating plunger 35 against the switch plunger 37a thus holding open the circuit controlled by the switch.

Operation The initiating device, with whatever tool or instrument is to be positioned attached to the device, is lowered into the well to the predetermined depth, for example, by a measuring wheel over which the suspending line is run. Such measuring lines are standard accessories in the oil well art.

In the idle position of the device the movement of the lower member 10a of the device (containing the initiatingmechanism and supporting the well tool) into the upper member 10 (suspended from the line) is limited by the engagement of head 20 with partition 17. The plunger 37a of switch 37 is pressed inward by the operat- .ing plunger 35 because of the action of spring 34. Spring 34 is provided to ensure that the plunger 37a of switch 37 is depressed and the initiating electrical circuit broken until head Zi is engaged by partition t7.

It will be noted that fluid tight tits are reduced to a minimum, being restricted to the lower member lua containing the actual initiating mechanism. The presence of well iluid in the upper portion l is of no consequence.

It should be noted that while electrical initiating means are indicated in the drawings, particulars of which are given in `copending patent application Serial No. 807,928, tiled April 2l, 1959, the initiating mechanism may equally well be of a mechanical ty-pe since the plunger 35 could operate such mechanism. Also, although operating plunger 35 is shown as directly working against the switch plunger 37a for simplicity, the plunger 35 could act directly on the switch mechanism since the movement of the plunger is limited by engagement of lower head 32 against the top 24a of pressure case 241. Alternatively the plunger 35 could Work against some mechanical arrangement transmitting movement to the switch plunger 37a and protecting it against direct impingement by the operating plunger 35.

Adjustment of the effective [length of the operative plunger 35 may be readily made in assembling the device `by screwing the plunger 35 a greater or lesser distance tinto the head 32.

At the predetermined depth, the device is lowered a short further distance and the suspending line given a sharp upward jerk. Since the line is directly secured to the upper member 10, that member will also move upward sharply, but the Ilower member lidia of the device, because of the lagging of the lower member due to the inertia of its weight and that of the tool or instrument suspended therefrom, will cause compression of spring 2l.

The head 20 of lower member 10a of the casing will thereupon be left behind by partition 1l7 in the upper member of the casing. Nut 31 on the upper end of trip rod 30, which is resiliently held for movement with the lower portion a of the casing, will be engaged by the partition 17, Iand rod 30 will thereafter move upward with the lupper member 10 of the casing. vThe lower head 32 secured to member 30 will therefore bemoved upward against the resistance of spring 34 which is compressed between lianges 33 and head 23a due to the lagging of the lower member 10a to which head 23a is secured as shown in FIG. 2a, withdrawing operating plunger 35 from the switch plunger 37a. Switch 37 will then close, completing a circuit from a source of electrical energy contained `in the pressure case 24 and transmitting electrical current to set into action the operating means contained in the well tool Z7.

After the spring 2l has overcome the inertia of the lower member lila at termination of the rapid upward movement of upper member 10, the parts of the device will be re-established in their original positions as shown in FIGS. 41 and la.

It will be noted that a relatively sharp jerk has to be given the line to ensure that nut 31 is engaged by the partition 17 since unless this engagement is effected the rod ywill not be displaced upwardly in the lower member 10a of the casing and therefore will continue to depress the plunger 37a of the normally closed switch and keep open the operating circuit of the initiating mechanism. This arrangement ensures that the initiating mechanism will not be operated when steadily raising the device or should it not be desired for any reason to operate the tool.

In operating the device, care should be taken that lowering into the well is effected at a rate such that a Sudden stoppage of the downward movement, for instance by jamming of the lowering cable, cannot result in operation of the tool due to the momentum of the resiliently supported lower member of the casing and well tool susl pended therefrom causing head 3l to strike against partition 17 with consequent release of switch plunger 37a.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been described and shown by way of example but not as limitative of the invention, since various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art in the described embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention Ias defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

l. Operating means for an initiating device for well tools adapted to be suspended by a suspending line within an oil well and provided with self-contained operating means requiring to be put into action by means external to the tool, comprising: an upper tubular member attached to the suspending line; a partition extending across the interior of said upper tubular member toward the upper end thereof and provided with `a central opening; a centrally apertured plug closing the lower end of said upper tubular member; a lower tubular member connected to the `well tool and having a portion of reduced diameter extending upwardly through the central opening in the plug at the lower end of the upper tubular member; an outwardly projecting liange mounted on the upper end of the reduced diameter portion of said lower tubular member; a coil spring surrounding said reduced diameter portion of the lower tubular member under compression between said plug and projecting flange and normally holding said ange against said partition; a trip member mounted within said portion of reduced diameter of the Elower tubular member and projecting upwardly through said partition and having a head on its uppermost portion; switch means having a contact member in engagement with said trip member; said switch means positioned within said lower tubular member, and a resilient means mounted between said lower tubular member and said trip member tending to hold said trip member against said switch contact member.

2. Operating means for an initiating device for well tools adapted to be suspended by a suspending line within an oil well and provided with self-contained operating means requiring to be put into action by means external to the tool, comprising: an upper tubular member attached to the suspending line; a lower tubular member connected to the well tool and having a portion of reduced diameter telescopically mounted within the upper tubular member; means maintaining the said lower tubular member resiliently within the upper tubular member; a trip member mounted within said portion of reduced diameter of the lower tubular member and extending into the lower tubular member; a partition extending across said upper tubular member and provided with a central opening therein, the movement of the lower tubular member into the upper tubular member being limited by the abutment of the portion of reduced diameter of the lower tubular member with the lower ,surface of said partition, the upper end of said trip member projecting through the opening in said partition; a head on the upper end of said trip member; a lower head on said trip member positioned within said lower tubular member; switch means having -a contact member in engagement with said trip member; said switch member positioned within said lower tubular member, and a resilient means mounted between said lower tubular member and said trip member tending Lo hold said trip member against said switch contact mem- 3. Operating means as set forth in claim 2 in which the said trip member has an adjustable length in contact with the said switch contact member.

4. Operating means for an initiating device for oil well tools adapted to be suspended by a suspending line within an oil well comprising: an upper member attached to said suspending line, a lower member' containing a switch, a telescoping means positioned within said upper member and tixedly attached to said lower member, means for limiting the movement of the said telescoping means within said upper member, said limiting means being integrally formed within said upper member, a plunger trip member contained within said lower member and telescoping means and contacting the said switch therein, a spring positioned within the upper member between the telescoping means and upper member tending to urge said telescoping means against the limiting means, resilient means positioned within the lower member between the trip member and the lower member tending to keep said plunger trip member in contact with said switch, head means contained within the upper member ixedly attached to said plunger trip member and positioned above the limiting means for causing the upper member to be pulled upwardly causing the said resilient means to compress and break the contact between the said plunger trip member and switch.

5. A device for actuating a switch comprising: an upper tubular member having a normal and a second position, said upper tubular member containing a partition with a central passageway therethrough dividing the member into upper and lower portions, a lower tubular member having a hollow upper chamber and a hollow lower chamber separated by a partition, a tubular telescoping element positioned within the lower portion of the upper tubular member and attached to the lower tubular member, a spring encompassing the telescoping element and positioned between the upper tubular member and the telescoping element urging the telescoping element against the upper tubular member partition, a trip member received by said tubular telescoping element and extending into the hollow upper chamber and means resiliently retaining the .trip member against the partition of the said lower tubular element, an enlarged head portion on the upper portion of said trip member retained within said upper portion `of the said upper tubular member in spaced relationship with said upper tubular member partition, a switch fixedly attached within the hollow lower chamber of the said lower tubular member and having a movable contact thereon, .a plunger Xedly attached to the lower end of the said rod that extends through the partition in the lower tubular element engaging the movable contact `of said switch, and a line xedly attached to the said upper tubular member.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 450,626 Kerstein Apr. 21, 1891 2,577,210 Ruska Dec. 4, 1951 2,667,223 Farris Jan. 26, 1954 

